Work holder apparatus



y 30, 1963 F. w. HASELTON 3,0

WORK HOLDER APPARATUS- Filed Feb. 21, 1961 IN ENT'UF F! LLl. HF75'E'L'7UN United States Patent ()ffice 3,999,439 Patented July 30, 1963 York Filed Feb. 21, 1961, Ser. No. 90,734 5 Claims. (Cl. 269-40) This invention relates to work holding apparatus and particularly to an apparatus used for forming articles such as cables.

In the manufacture of electrical equipment, such as, telephone subscriber sets, radio receiving sets, and the like, the circuits of the various pieces of electrical apparatus are interconnected by cables, commonly referred to as local cables, having wires of predetermined different sizes and lengths. Such cables are usually made by stringing the wire about nails or pins secured on a forming board according to a specified plan.

Heretofore, the cable forming apparatus consisted of one forming board per operator position, thereby permitting only two different cable setups, one on each side of the board. Consequently, the cabling operator was burdened with relocating the nails for each different cable plan, and this resulted not only in a shortened life of the board, but also in the waste of much production time. In addition, due to the large size of the boards, for example, 4 by 12', much valuable floor space was occupied.

The object of this invention is a work holding apparatus adapted to minimize these undesirable costs.

Generally, according to the invention, the apparatus includes a supporting frame having a pair of end members rotatable therein, and a plurality of article forming boards rotatable in the end members. With this apparatus, many cable setups are available while retaining the same floor space per operator position normally occupied by a single forming board. Due to an increase in the number of boards at each operator position, many different cable setup-s are readily available and a relocation of the nails is minimized.

In a preferred embodiment, a pair of end members is supported on a frame with a plurality of forming boards having opposing work surfaces rotatably supported in the end members to form a horizontally disposed drum. The drum is rotatable to locate a particular forming board in a desired work position. Similarly, by rotating a board on its own axis, either work surface of the board can be exposed at any desired angle with respect to the operator. The end members have openings for receiving locking pins to secure the end members and forming boards in selected angular positions.

Other objects will be apparent and a fuller understanding of the invention may be had by referring to the following description and claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the cable forming apparatus; and

FIG. 2 is a schematic view indicating the rotational movement of the various components of the apparatus.

Referring now to the drawing, a cable forming drum includes a pair of end members 11, preferably hexagonal, with axles 12 mounted on their outer surfaces for rotatably supporting the end members in a pair of vertical frame standards 13. Three forming boards 15 extend between the end members 11, each board being secured in a channel 17 and having an axle 18 near the midpoints of a pair of its opposing lateral surfaces 19. Each axle 18 extends through an opening 27 of the end members 11 for rotatably supporting the boards therein and forming a horizontally disposed drum. One simple cable 7 having its wires 8 strung about the nails or receiving elements 9 is shown in the drawing.

Alternate sides 21 of the hexagonally shaped end members 11 have openings 27 extending therethrough just below their peripheral surfaces to receive the axles 18 of each forming board. In this manner, the intermediate sides 22 of the end members permit sufiicient clearance between the boards for their free rotational movement. It is to be noted that while hexagonal end members are illustrated for supporting three forming boards, the end members can be of any desired shape or polygonal configuration to support any number of forming boards, the essential fact being that sufiicient clearance be provided between each board for its free rotational movement.

A group of openings 23 is circularly arranged on each end member 1 1 about axles 12 for receiving a screw or locking pin 24. The pin is inserted through an opening of standard '13 into one of the openings 23 to secure the end members in a desired rotative position. Similarly, a series of apertures 25 is semi-circularly arranged about each axle 1 8 for receiving a locking pin 26. The locking pin 26 is inserted through an aperture 25 into a groove (not shown) on the lateral surface 19 of each board to lock the board in any selected rotative position. If desired, however, a single slot can be used in lieu of the series of apertures to receive the locking pin. With such an arrangement, the drum 10 can be rotated to position any board in a desired work location, and each board can be rotated independently of the drum to any desired angular work position. Furthermore, after a cabling operation is completed on one side of the board, the board can be rotated exposing a new work surface for setting up a different cabling form. Although the forming board described has two work surfaces, the work holding members can be of any polygonal configuration to accommodate any number of work surf-aces.

It is to be understood that the above described arrangements are simply illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. A cable forming apparatus which comprises a supporting frame, a pair of end members rotatably supported in the frame, at least one end member having a first group of openings and a plurality of series of apertures selectively positioned adjacent to the first group, a first removable pin for insertion through the frame into an opening of the first group for locking the end member in a desired position, a plurality of cable forming boards rotatably supported in the end members forming a horizontally disposed drum, each board having opposing work surfaces and a groove in its lateral surfaces, and a second removable pin for each series of apertures for insertion through an aperture corresponding to the groove of a forming board for locking each board in a desired work position.

2. A cable forming apparatus according to claim 1 in which the end members are rotatably supported by a mounted axle thereon extending into the frame, and the first group of openings is circularly arranged about the axle for receiving the first locking pin to secure the end members in a multitude of rotative positions.

3. A cable forming apparatus according to claim '1 in which each forming board is rotatably supported by an axle mounted on a pair of opposing lateral surfaces of each board and extending intothe end members, and the openings of each series of apertures are semi-circularly arranged about each axle for receiving the second locking pin to secure each forming board in a multitude of rotative work positions.

4. An electrical cable forming apparatus which comprises a supporting frame for a drumlike device journalled therein, said device having a plurality of rotatable flat surfiaced members for receiving elements therein about which a cable is formed, and means for locking the members in any desired fixed rotative position.

5. An electrical cable forming apparatus which comprises a supporting fname, a pair of end members rotatable in the frame, means. for locking the end members in any one. of a plurality of fixed positions to which the end members are rotated, a plurality of holding members having opposing flat surfaces for receiving elements aboutv 10 4 which the cable is formed, said members being equidistantly spaced and rotatably mounted within the end members, and means for locking the holding members in any one of a plurality of positions to which the holding members are rotated.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 23,627 Great Britain of 1911 

1. A CABLE FORMING APPARATUS WHICH COMPRISES A SUPPORTING FRAME, A PAIR OF END MEMBERS ROTATABLY SUPPORTED IN THE FRAME, AT LEAST ONE END MEMBER HAVING A FIRST GROUP OF OPENINGS AND A PLURALITY OF SERIES OF APERTURES SELECTIVELY POSITIONED ADJACENT TO THE FIRST GROUP, A FIRST REMOVABLE PIN FOR INSERTION THROUGH THE FRAME INTO AN OPENING OF THE FIRST GROUP FOR LOCKING THE END MEMBER IN A DESIRED POSITION, A PLURALITY OF CABLE FORMING BOARDS ROTATABLY SUPPORTED IN THE END MEMBERS FORMING A HORIZONTALLY DISPOSED DRUM, EACH BOARD HAVING OPPOSING WORK SURFACES AND A GROOVE IN ITS LATERAL SURFACES, AND A SECOND REMOVABLE PIN FOR EACH SERIES OF APERTURES FOR INSERTION THROUGH AN APERTURE CORRESPONDING TO THE GROOVE OF A 